The Mommy Side of Aphrodite
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: Oneshot. *Set sometime during HoO, but pre-MoA* Lacy, bothered by Drew again despite Piper changing things around the Aphrodite cabin, comes to have a new appreciation for her goddess mother. Sometimes being materialistic helps.


**The Mommy Side of Aphrodite**

A PJO oneshot

by mew-tsubaki

Note: The _Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus_ characters belong to Rick Riordan, not to me. Besides Hades, I've never really written the gods interacting with their kids, so here goes. :O Read, review, and enjoy!

- ^-^3

"All right. So! Piper's on yet another quest," Drew announced through gritted teeth and a sickeningly sweet smile, "and we're back to normal. Chore time!"

Lacy began to protest, but luckily Mitchell stepped forward. "Yes, Piper's away, but she made me her fill-in, Drew. Age doesn't matter anymore. You had power once; you couldn't be trusted."

Drew sent him a venomous glare, but she quickly replaced it with her fake and makeup-heavy smile.

_Probably so as not to get frown lines_, Lacy thought to herself. Then she wished she hadn't; it was hard not to laugh at the mental image she got of Drew being evil _and_ wrinkly long before her next birthday.

"Then what do you suggest, Cabin Counselor?" Drew said innocently.

Lacy could tell with one look at Mitchell's chagrined expression that he had no other ideas at the moment, and she saw his shoulders sag. She wanted to go hug him, but she knew that wouldn't be wise. It would make him look weak, and it would make her look like his favorite, and neither of them needed more trouble than they could handle. So finally Mitchell gave in with a sigh and said, "Yeah, all right, everybody, go do your chores. Pair yourselves off."

It was understandable to pair off since there were a lot of Aphrodite kids, but Lacy wished that Mitchell had come be her partner for laundry duty instead of checking in with the other counselors. She knew that that was his job when Piper wasn't around now, but still… Lacy did one quick sweep of the cabin to note that their half-siblings had picked everyone else, leaving Lacy with Drew.

Lacy inwardly groaned.

"Come on, short stack," Drew ordered. She piled both oversized baskets into Lacy's arms. "Follow me. And _don't_ drop those clothes before or after you wash them."

"Me?" Lacy squawked. "But we're supposed to do this together! And I can't believe you're making me carry everyone's clothes."

"You know, Lacy, I liked you better before you grew a backbone and started talking back to me. That might work with Piper around, but don't think that Mitchell can make me say 'please' and 'thank you.'" Drew stopped short, and Lacy bumped into her, but thankfully nothing fell. "And correction, sweetie—those are just my clothes."

Lacy hated this. She fumed all the way down to the lake, where Drew went and sat under the shade of a nearby tree and Lacy had to suffer under the sun's heat, washing Drew's clothes. It was so annoying.

And even her annoyance annoyed her! Lacy missed being happier. It really wasn't bad with Piper around to manage things, but with Piper around it meant that Lacy could stick by Mitchell's side. She got along the best with him, but now she'd barely see him for however long he'd have to fill in for Piper.

She'd just finished with Drew's rhinestone denim shorts when she caught her reflection in the water. Lacy almost wished for one of the nymphs to come play with her, but she knew better. The nymphs stayed away from anyone doing laundry because the chore momentarily dirtied the water.

Still, Lacy stared at her reflection, with its mousy blonde hair, little pigtails, and—when she smiled—its metal smile from the braces. She sighed.

But then the reflection changed.

Well, to say it changed once would be a lie. It continued to change and never quite settled down, though the face undoubtedly grew older. And that was how Lacy recognized Aphrodite.

"Mom?" she asked. She almost yelped, but Aphrodite held up a finger to motion her to be quiet.

"Hi, sweetie," Aphrodite said, except her "sweetie" didn't sound mean like Drew's did.

"What are you doing here?"

Aphrodite made a movement like a shrug. "Just checking in, though I know I haven't been good about that as of late. Things are changing around Olympus, though I'm proud to say that I'll probably be one of the last ones affected, if at all. Love's the same, no matter what, really."

"Why? What's wrong?"

Aphrodite smiled, and it put Lacy in mind of her dad. Though her dad had always told her that he probably had loved Lacy's mom more than she had loved him, Lacy knew that Aphrodite had liked him, definitely, because this wasn't the first time she'd mimicked his smile. Or maybe Aphrodite had seen her own smile on Lacy's dad's face… Still, narcissism aside, it was nice to see her mother. "A little bit of everything, dear."

"Can I do something to help?" Lacy glanced at the shorts in her hands. "I mean, anything must be better than this."

"That's not why I'm here, Lacy, and you know a little soap does wonders for dry skin."

Lacy nodded.

"I came to give you something."

"What?" She couldn't believe her ears. Gods didn't often visit their children, but giving them things? That was almost unheard of outside of quests!

"I know it's a few months early, but between your last birthday and the next, I like to give my kids an item. You know how Drew has that high-end pink eyeliner? And Mitchell has that lovely belt made from Italian leather?"

Lacy nodded again. Mitchell always wore that belt, and Drew always used that eyeliner.

"Well, those were gifts from me."

"Really?" Lacy got excited…until her excitement died down. "But, my birthday's not for a couple of more months."

"I know," Aphrodite said, and she actually sounded sad. "But I wanted to make sure I got this to you anyway. I like you a lot, Lacy. You're the sweeter side of love, the kind a man rarely gets to enjoy, and only a good man may have."

The demigod's heart swelled. This was the closest thing to hearing her mother say "I love you" or "I'm proud of you," and it meant all the same to Lacy regardless. "Thank you, Mom."

"So here you go. Something nice and girly for my sweet little Lacy." Aphrodite's image shimmered, and a small strand of pearls flew up out of the water, landing in Lacy's open hands.

"They're so pretty!" Lacy quietly exclaimed. "But they're…they're so grown up."

"Nonsense. You're only a kid if you think you are. Or act like one," the Goddess of Love added after a pause.

"Thank you," Lacy said. She thought for a second. "What about Piper? She only recently found out about all of this," Lacy continued, motioning to the camp.

Aphrodite smiled mischievously. "Who do you think left those beads and feathers she loves to put in her hair so much by her vanity some years ago?" The goddess winked then, and her image began to revert back to Lacy's reflection as she left with a "Happy birthday, Lacy."

Lacy beamed at the water, and she happily clasped the necklace behind her neck. She admired her reflection. Nothing could ruin the moment…

…except when she realized she'd dropped Drew's shorts and would have to wash them all over again.

- ^-^3

**So, drawing an adorable pic of Lacy and Clovis together (AphReject, thankies), and I draw a pearl necklace and a pearl bracelet on Lacy and think, "How cute." Then I wonder how Lacy got them, and this fic came to life. And I kinda thought Lacy would be turning twelve (or eleven) in a bit, so that's why no age was mentioned. ;P XD I adore Lacy. Sadly, I love Drew, too, so writing a fic from Lacy's POV is tough since they don't get along, argh. Ah, well. And random: But does anyone else hear Aphrodite talk with an almost Southern accent? *lol***

**Thanks for reading, and please review, because Olympus is watching you! ;P**

**-mew-tsubaki :]**

***And if you enjoy PJO (especially the minor characters), then please swing by the ****Aphrodite's Rejects**** forum, the link to which may be found on my profile.***


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